One in five Americans who work shorter hours at their job in order to

Hello, NandishSS. Yes, this is a confusing question, but I will do my best to get to the bottom of each answer choice. How about we have a look?


I have highlighted the beginning of the who clause to indicate that although we are dealing with a singular subject of one in the main clause, the relative pronoun who after Americans triggers a plural subject-verb agreement. The idea is that we are talking about a group of Americans who do something, singling out a member of that group for discussion. Crucially, without the relative pronoun (i.e. who), the sentence would require a singular subject-verb agreement instead. Please see this post on the topic, a collection of dedicated notes originally from Ron Purewal. Thus, one in five Americans who work... save is absolutely fine. The one debatable point I find in this option is the use of the singular job, which makes it sound as though we are referring back to the individual, an especially odd time to do so, since it follows the plural pronoun their. I would not get rid of this answer choice right away, but I would keep looking.


Okay, this is another tricky answer, but one that can be disproved with a closer look at subject-verb agreement. You might recall that an -ing modifier without a comma modifies the preceding noun, so their is correct to agree with Americans. But then we get saves later on, and if we are talking about Americans as a group in the rest of the sentence, the earlier part, then we need the verb to be save for the sake of consistency. By using saves, the sentence shifts the focus back to the individual, which makes it seem as if their refers—incorrectly—to that same individual. Even though gender-neutral pronouns are in vogue right now, at least in the United States, standardized grammar rules tend to be slower to catch up, and as of this writing, their must still refer to a plural subject.


Yet another arcane grammar rule is on display here. After what I wrote above for choice (A), how could I reject this option for the same plural subject-verb agreement? It all has to do with the article the at the head of the sentence, which is used to indicate the one and only, a singular subject. So, despite the one in five... who construct, the the overrides everything. The agreement must be the one in five Americans who works.


Sure, there are more words, but the meaning here is crystal clear, and the subject-verb agreement is perfect.


Another easy elimination, this time on the grounds that the sentence, without a comma after job creates a run-on. We do not even have to consider whether anything else is off. Take it as a gift, given some of the other choices.

There you have it. I hope that helps clarify your areas of concern. Choice (D) is the best of the bunch, but whoever designed the original question must have been combing through the back of some unabridged and quite lengthy grammar guide.

Thank you for tagging me on this one, and best of luck with your studies.

- Andrew